


Linked to the Stories of the Sky

by Tuxedo_Elf



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: Bedtime Stories, But that's normal in Zelda, Fluff, Gen, baby sky, something of a paradox
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:54:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29321241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tuxedo_Elf/pseuds/Tuxedo_Elf
Summary: It's nighttime on Skyloft and one little boy is eagerly awaiting his favourite bedtime story, one that tells of a great battle and hero who came through a magical portal to their aid.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 52





	Linked to the Stories of the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> I was replaying Hyrule Warriors and noticed that when you're on Skyloft, the Goddess statue is still standing. Which led me to assume that the HW battle came before the events of Skyward Sword. This is the result of that observation!

Linked to the Stories of the Sky

Xxxxx

It was already dark as the man walked the well worn path to his home. Night fell swiftly on Skyloft, the light fading with a speed that would have astonished anyone who wasn't from there. Not that it was usually a problem. It had been a long time since any outsiders had been there. Though not so long that the man didn't remember. 

As the door to his house swung open, small, bare feet pounded across the wooden floor, accompanied by squeals of delight. 

"Papa! Papa you're home!" The small boy's face lit up in joy as his mother laughed tiredly from the far end of the room. 

Already in his pyjamas, the young boy was nearly ready to go to sleep, but his eyes were wide with excitement as his father returned, chasing all thoughts of bed away. 

"That I am!" He laughed as he swung the boy into his arms. "Have you been running your mother ragged again?" 

Big, wide eyes, met his. "Only a *little*." 

"Oh, well that's okay then!" He couldn't help shooting a grin at his tired wife. "Come on. Let's you and me give your Mama a break." 

Small arms wrapped around his neck. "Story time, Papa? Can it be story time?"

"Of course it can... what story?" The boy loved stories and tales, his imagination sparked so easily. 

"My story! I want my story, Papa! The story of why I am called Link!" 

The old Knight groaned. "Again? I have told you that one more than a hundred times, I'm sure!" 

"But it's the best story, Papa! Please?" Those wide blue eyes fixed on his father pleadingly. 

"Oh, very well." He didn't have it in him to deny the simple request. "But you must brush your teeth and get into bed." 

"Okay!" Link grinned as his father set him down and dashed off to the bathroom, while his father smiled fondly and went to settle into the chair at the end of Link's bed. 

It didn't take long before the boy was back, scrambling into bed and looking at his father expectantly. "Ready Papa! Tell the story now?" 

His enthusiasm for a story that he must know by heart made his father chuckle. He never seemed to tire of it and, despite sometimes wishing he'd choose something else, it was heartwarming that he cared so much about the past.

They'd never expected Link, most of their lives spent without Hylia's blessing of children, yet, when it seemed they were past the age it was even possible, she had granted them a miracle. 

A second miracle, he amended. The first was that he had lived to have a child at all, after Skyloft nearly fell to a devastating attack. 

And the tale of that miracle was the story his son loved so much. 

It would not be a perfect retelling, some things did not need to be known by such a young child, but it was always enough to keep his boy happy.

Leaning forward, he smiled and began the tale. "As you know, this land of Skyloft has been at peace for a great many years. We lived without worry for countless generations. But, just a few short decades ago things started to change. A demon laid a curse on the land and the night became dark and dangerous." 

Link shivered a little in his bed, glancing out of the window to the dark sky. 

"As the numbers of monsters rose, the brave people of Skyloft decided that we could not let them rule our lives. They formed the Knight academy to train young warriors to defend our land from threats." 

"And you were one, Papa!" His fear gone as quickly as it arrived, Link bounced on his pillow. 

"I was. I was young and ready to protect my home. I looked quite splendid in my uniform too, I must say." He was interrupted by a voice from outside the door. 

"There is no need to include *that* in our son's story!" 

He chuckled as a blush crept up his cheeks. "Well... moving on. So there I was, ready and willing to fight for Skyloft. And for many years we did very well, never knowing how lucky we are. And then!" He leaned forward, causing Link to gasp. "One day, a great portal opened up near our great statue. Beasts of all kinds came flooding through, overwhelming this beautiful land! The Knights rose to the call, taking up our swords though we were greatly outmatched! We fought!" His voice rose dramatically and arms waved in an imitation of swordplay, swiping through the air next to his son. 

"And then what, Papa?" Clutching his blanket, Link leaned in eagerly. 

His father's voice dropped. "There were so many. They surrounded those brave knights of Skyloft. I was cut off from my patrol! The monsters got closer... and closer... and closer!" 

Link squealed as his father's nose touched his. 

"No matter how many I cut down, there were always more! One got too close, his terrible blade striking me!" He paused, his hand going to a now faded scar on his cheek. 

"And were you scared, Papa?" Link asked in a whisper. 

"Oh yes, son. I was very scared. But there is no shame in fear. I prayed to the Goddess for a miracle." His somber face faded into a grin. "And I got one." 

He threw his arms open. "All of a sudden, a hero appeared! From whence he came I do not know, but he appeared when I needed him most. His sword cut through those monsters like a knife through butter, the great numbers we'd struggled against falling to him like they were nothing. My first sight of him was as he cleaved through the ones in my keep, spinning around with his blade in a full circle, so that none escaped." 

"How many monsters did he defeat, Papa?" Link asked, as he had a hundred times before. 

"That I could not say, only that he cleared the keep. I was trapped, a huge hulking monster before me, three or four times my size, and a beast breathing fire overhead." He affected the roar of an Aeralfos, his hands becoming claws. "I should have met the Goddess that day. But the hero swept in! He cut down the creature they called a moblin, and fairly leapt up to down the monsters above! Such grace and speed I have never seen before or since!" 

Link squealed, almost bouncing off the bed in enthusiastic imitation. 

His father smiled. "Freed, we followed him as he made his way towards the broken roads, never slowing as he fought any enemy in his way. So incredible were his appearance and his actions that some began to say he was the hero of the Goddess returned. Though, I was sure he was not. They say that hero of old wore a scarf of scarlet red, while the scarf of this hero was the brightest blue and bearing the crest of the Goddess."

Link's eyes gleamed with excitement. "I want to do that! Beat all the monsters!" He swung his arms around, nearly hitting his father. 

"Careful! A good Knight knows where their sword is going!" He ruffled the boy's hair before continuing. 

"A great threat still remained, a Dragon Knight of incredible power. The hero spoke his name, clearly they had met before. They fought a terrible duel! The Hero's sword clashed with the dragon's spear! The hero had to work hard to dodge both blows and fire, but it seemed he would prevail."

"But it wasn't so easy, was it Papa?" Link whispered, his pretense of never having heard the story before slipping away. 

"No. The dragon called on a dark power and was filled with strength. He began to attack fiercely and we feared the battle was lost. But we need not have feared! The hero had a surprise of his own. I know not how, but he called upon the sky spirit to aid him and a great thunderbolt drained the new power from the dragon. And that was when the hero delivered the final blow. His sword struck, and the dragon fell."

There he paused, both for breath and effect. "It was over. The battle was won and Skyloft was safe." 

"All because of the hero!" Link grinned. 

"Yes. He saved not only my life but the lives of many. He said very little though and hardly seemed to realise what he had achieved. Almost as soon as the battle was over he returned to the Goddess Statue, saying he still had evil to defeat elsewhere. A hero's work is never done it seems. There by the statue was the portal, all swirling purples and blues. He meant to go through and then close it, so no more monsters could come through." 

Blue eyes closed as he remembered. "I realised, just as he was about to step through, that I did not even have the name of the one who had saved us. I called out to him to wait and he turned to me. 

"Please, I said. Might I know the name of the hero who saved us? Who saved me?" 

Link leaned forward in anticipation. 

"He smiled, the only one I saw from him. I got the feeling he was rarely asked such a thing. And he told me his name was Link."

"Did he say anything else?" Link asked, almost out of his bed and on his father's lap.

"Only goodbye. I got the feeling he was a man of few words. Still, I like to think he was grateful for my interest.

Almost as soon as he said his farewell, he stepped into the portal, that glorious blue lingering before it closed moments later. He was gone, but I knew in that moment if I ever had a child, I would name them Link." 

Shoving his covers aside, Link scrambled fully onto his father's knee. "And here I am!" 

"And here you are. How lucky that I was able to fulfil that pledge." 

Balancing precariously, Link stood up to put his arms around his father's neck, smiling when the embrace was returned. "I want to be a hero just like that. Beat the dragon and save everyone." He yawned, his eyelids drooping. "But only during the day." 

"I'll be sure to tell the monsters only to attack during the light hours," he laughed, lifting Link to place him back into bed. 

"Good," he smiled. And then for once, asked a question he hadn't before. "Papa? Do you think he will ever come back?"

"The hero?" He was surprised. "I do not know. Certainly I have never seen him again since that day." 

"I hope he does. I'd like to meet him." 

"And what would you say if you did?" 

Link smiled. "I'd ask if he could teach me to be a hero too. Oh! And I'd say thank you! For helping my Papa." He giggled, leaning in for another hug. "And then I'd challenge him to a duel." 

Xxxx

The hero of the Sky was unsettled. He was rather used to strange things happening by now, but this exceeded all his expectations. That morning Zelda had lured him out of bed with the promise of hot tea and breakfast, before they set about the day's work. And now, by evening, he was in an entirely unknown world - again - with four others who all shared the name Link. 

An older man with just one eye. A small one who talked to himself a lot. A grumpy one who seemed to resent being with them. And one... with a bright smile and brighter scarf, that sent him spiralling back years. 

"Can I sit here?"

Link nearly lept off the log at the sudden question. Looking up, he saw that very hero looking down at him in mild concern. 

"Yes, yes of course." 

"Thanks."

Link couldn't help but stare as the other sat, moving the bright blue scarf out of the way. 

"How are you doing? I know this world hopping is pretty crazy." A smile. "The others have taken to calling me Captain if you need something to call me."

"Captain... right. Thank you. Uhh... you can call me..." he looked up, past the clouds to the home he still missed, despite choosing to leave it. "I don't know. Sky?" 

"Interesting. Nice though. Okay then, Sky. Is everything okay? I... noticed you've been giving me strange looks since we met." 

Link blushed. "Sorry. It's just that you. I... um..." he twisted his hands together. "You've been to Skyloft, haven't you?" 

The Captain looked stunned. "Is that where you're from? Yes, some years ago, I helped out during a battle there." 

The newly named Sky had to chuckle. "From what I heard you almost single handedly saved it." 

"Well... I was hardly the only one fighting. Were you there? I don't recall seeing you, but I was a little… busy." 

"No, actually, it was before I was born. But my father was. You um... you saved his life." 

"I did? Well, I'm glad to hear it, otherwise we might not be here now." Stretching his legs out, the captain tried to remember. "I wish I could say I remember all those I met that day, but I'm afraid I do not."

"Oh, that's okay. You saved so many. He told me he asked your name, just before you left. That's... why my name is Link too."

The Captain started. "I do remember that! No one usually asked me my name, it was nice. I hardly knew what to say! That was your father? Wow." 

"He never forgot." Sky smiled. "He often told me about that day. You uh... well that battle... it was uh..." he buried his face in his sailcloth. "My favourite bedtime story." 

"Your fave... okay. That's a little weird." The Captain stared down at his scarf. "Flattering. But definitely a little weird." 

"Sorry." Sky mumbled. "I never actually expected to meet you even though... I really wanted to. I used to imagine what I'd say." 

The Captain's eyes took on a gleam. "Oh really? Well... now's your chance. I'm right here. And I have to admit, I'm dying of curiosity. I've never been a bedtime story before."

Slowly, Sky removed his face from the cloth. "Well... I wanted to be a hero too, I was going to ask you to train me." He laughed. "I guess we're a little past that now."

"From what I can tell, you're a fine hero already." 

"I… do my best." He grinned. "I also told my father that I'd challenge you to a duel to see who was better." 

The Captain's eyes widened. "Please tell me that is not still on your to do list." His eyes fell on the sword that rested nearby, a sword they all knew. 

"It is, but I think it can wait," he teased. 

"Glad to hear it. Plenty of other things to be fighting for now!"

Sky chewed on his lip before smiling. "But mostly I just wanted to say thank you. For my father, and for myself. I don't think that really conveys my gratitude but... thank you."

Sky was surprised when a warm hand landed on his shoulder. 

"You are more than welcome. And we've only just met, but I already know you'd do the same for me." 

"I would. Absolutely." Smiling, he faced his childhood hero properly for the first time. He had never truly expected to meet the star of those bedtime stories, much less head off on an adventure with him. But here he was and maybe if he was lucky, this adventure would provide bedtime stories for his own children one day.

And that was a pleasant thought indeed. 

Xxxxx

End.


End file.
